It was a successful weekend for Paradigm Racing with both of the team’s riders fighting for some well-deserved finishes. New rider Bobby Fong had a tremendous debut. Fong earned his way into Friday’s SuperPole and began both of the weekend’s races from 8th position. Veteran rider Ty Howard returned to the team after a solid debut at the previous round and qualified in 20th position. Race 1: Race 1 was a battle of wills that saw countless position changes and some of the tightest racing this year. Fong was able to fight hard for a fantastic 5th place finish. Howard also rode hard from the beginning and brought the Paradigm Racing Yamaha R6 home in 22nd position. Both riders were able to get solid starts, but the race was red-flagged just one lap in after a rider low-sided and was apparently injured. The race resumed with Fong getting a good restart and quickly moving up two spots to 6th position. A tough battle ensued between Bobby and Aprilia factory rider Chaz Davies. The two swapped positions several times before Davies was able to pull away slightly. Bobby then settled in and was able to maintain his position until the race’s end. Howard also had a good restart and battled hard with a pack of three riders. By race end, Howard was able to secure a solid finish in one of the toughest races of the year. Ty Howard: “In the past two races I have been with the team, it has given me a real insight into the quality of this class. The whole field is stacked! Top to bottom you have some of the best riders out there. I got a decent start, but it was a tough fight from the begging till the end,” said Howard. Bobby Fong: “I’m still getting used to the Paradigm Racing Yamaha R6, but I have to say it is the best bike I have ridden in a while! I would have like to qualified a little higher, but it SuperPole is always a nerve-wracking situation. However, I think we were able to run a good race and really show what this bike is capable of,” stated Fong. Race 2: Race 2 began with Fong pushing hard, but he was shuffled down two spots to 10th as the field funneled down into Turn 1 Alpha. However, Fong put his head down and regained those two spot before a red flag was thrown. This time, Fong capitalized on a good restart and began to claw his way through the field. On the final lap, Fong and the rider behind him nearly collided as a close pass was made. As a result, Fong was forced to stand the bike up, which allowed an additional rider through. Despite this, Fong was able to bring the Paradigm Racing Yamaha R6 home with a strong 9th place finish. Howard also ran a tremendous race. The start of the race saw Howard drop down two spots initially before the red flag came out. Following the restart Howard pushed hard and was able to regain the two spots he had given up previously. As the laps ticked away, Howard jumped up two more spots and was able to secure a solid 18th place finish. Bobby Fong: “I’m really thankful to be racing this weekend and Paradigm has done a tremendous job on the bikes. I am a little upset that I could not hold onto 7th at the end of the race, but that’s how things go sometimes. I’m definitely looking forward to VIR and can’t wait to get back out there with this great team of guys,” Fong said. Ty Howard: “Race 2 was another knock-down drag-out fight from the start, but we were able to make some progress from Race 1. The bike was great and I was able to put in some good laps after the restart. Thanks to the whole crew for a great weekend and I look forward to working with the team in the future,” said Howard. Crew Chief Perry Melneciuc: “I’m really pleased with the way the weekend unfolded. My guys went out there and ran some solid races that could’ve ended up completely different. Both guys focused in on the task at hand, buckled down and really got the job done on a track that was brand new to them. The team is really pleased with the way the weekend went. We are all looking forward to VIR and continued success in the future,” Melneciuc said. For more information on Paradigm Racing, please visit www.paradigmracing.net . More, from a press release issued by East Coast Power Sports: How to get on TV…Drop your bike in the pits! The # 10 Moto GT2 East Coast Power Sports entry would like to thank all their sponsors for helping them make the long trip to Heartland Park in Topeka, Kansas a success by taking 3rd place on the box at the Tornado Nationals. Although we had a rough pit stop, the crew was able to keep its composure and get the rider change completed in a very quick manner. It took a team effort to be able to get on that podium and now we can laugh and learn from the pit stop “oooopps.” We would like to thank East Coast Power Sports, GNC Nutrition Center, KWS Motorsports, Wings ETC., Ken Roberts Auto Glass, Uzzo Mafia and Spears Performance. And for those of you who haven’t been to Topeka, watch out for the painted lines in the pits, they are a dooosie! See you in Virginia. More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson: Eslick Takes Daytona SportBike Co-Lead at Topeka First and Third Place Finishes Highlight Emotional Weekend East Troy, Wis. — Bruce Rossmeyer’s Daytona Racing/RMR/GEICO Powersports rider Danny Eslick earned a share AMA Pro Racing Daytona SportBike championship lead with a victory and a third place finish during a tumultuous and emotional double-header weekend for the Oklahoma rider and his team at Heartland Park-Topeka that was marred by the tragic death of team sponsor Bruce Rossmeyer, who was killed in a street motorcycle accident on the way to the Sturgis motorcycle rally on Friday. Starting from tenth place on the grid, Eslick charged through the field in Saturday’s Race 1 to take the lead from polesitter Jason DiSalvo (Team M4 Suzuki) on lap 8 and was later challenged for the lead by DiSalvo’s teammate, points leader Martin Cardenas. When Cardenas crashed out of the race on lap 18, Eslick cruised to a 1.8-second victory in the 20-lap race. “I glanced back and Martin was all over me and that was pretty close to the end,” Eslick said. “I did a couple of really good motocross block passes, and I think I was going slow enough I could have put my foot down. It was 100 percent clean, he raced me clean and we never touched once. That’s the race I’ve been looking for all year, to be the points leader and all that. “Martin’s a heck of a guy, a great rider and I wish it wouldn’t have ended that way because that would have been a heck of a battle to the checkered flag,” Eslick said. “It was really unfortunate about the passing of Bruce Rossmeyer and we dedicate this win to him. He was a great guy and our teammate. The family said ‘go win a championship for us,’ so this is the first step.” Following Saturday’s race, AMA officials determined that Eslick had made an illegal pass under waving yellow for the lead, and he was docked 10 championship points and half his purse winnings for the weekend. In Sunday’s Race 2, Eslick once again worked his way up to the race lead and engaged in a thrilling run to the checkered flag with eventual winner Cardenas and Graves Yamaha’s Josh Herrin, who charged back up through the field after a mid-race off-track excursion resulting from a near collision with Eslick. Eslick and Cardenas exchanged the lead twice on the final lap, but Herrin’s daring full-lock last-lap pass on Eslick dropped the Buell rider to third. “Josh snuck in there the last lap. I was all over [the track]. I hit the ground once. I don’t know how the handlebar didn’t hit the ground. It was everything but on the ground sliding,” Eslick said. “Hats off to the Bruce Rossmeyer/RMR Buell team. Again this weekend is for Bruce.” With two rounds left in the season, Eslick is tied atop the Daytona SportBike championship standings with Cardenas at 318 points each. With a pair of second place finishes, Herrin moved up to third in the points with 261. In Saturday’s 2-hour SunTrust Moto-GT endurance race, the Liberty Waves/Antelope Valley H-D/Buell team of Eric Pinson and Eric Haugo finished fourth in the Moto-GT1 class, dropping to second in the class standings behind Crozier Motorsports 190-104 points. The James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing team of Paul James and Jeff Johnson finished sixth and moved up to fifth place in the season points. In other Buell results from the Topeka double-header, Eslick’s teammate Michael Barnes finished 20th and 17th, respectively in Daytona Sportbike, Latus Motor’s Taylor Knapp finished 12th and 8th, Bartels’ H-D-Buell/Higbee-racing.com’s Shawn Higbee finished 39th and 16th, and Blue Springs H-D/Buell/Bison Racing’s Walt Sipp finished 30th and 42nd. In American Superbike weekend results, Higbee finished 14th and 13th and Sipp finished 21st and 18th. All were racing Buell 1125Rs. The next round of the championship is set for August 14-16 at Virginia International Raceway in Alton, VA. Founded by visionary motorcycle designer and former privateer racer Erik Buell in 1983, Buell Motorcycle Company, a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson, Inc., produces sport motorcycles, motorcycle parts, accessories and apparel, including the 1125R superbike, 1125CR café racer, and air-cooled XB-series Ulysses, Firebolt, and Lightning. To learn more about Buell motorcycles, or to locate the dealer nearest you, log onto www.buell.com. More, from a press release issued by Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki: Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s Hayden Improves in Race 2 in Kansas Topeka, Kansas Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki’s Roger Hayden kept his promise that he would improve on his Saturday result, finishing an impressive seventh after a 14th place start at Heartland Park Topeka. With a great jump on both the opening and red flag starts, Hayden pushed hard every lap to finish seven spots better than his qualifying position. Hayden did a great job of proving the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R’s worth, while Hacking sat out of Sunday’s race citing safety concerns. Improvements Right away, Hayden was out on a mission to move up. His first start pushed him up from 14th to 12th on the first lap. On the red flag restart, Hayden moved up another two positions on a single lap to 10th. He raced down the pack in front of him to eventually finish a notable seventh. “This race was definitely better,” said Hayden. “We made some good changes to the bike from yesterday. I got a little bit better start and rode aggressive from the beginning. I was chasing the group in front of me the whole race and caught up to them at the end. I was able to get by one guy on the last lap to move up to seventh. It was a little bit better than yesterday. We know we need to keep improving and hopefully get back up front.” Good Pace Coming from a mid-pack starting position, Hayden knew he had to be confident in his start. Once the race was underway, Hayden pushed hard to catch the riders in front, passing seven people in the process. “I definitely felt better today,” said Hayden. “I knew I was capable of running down the guys in front of me. I tried to set a fast pace and was able to catch several guys in front of me.” Full Team After running a one-man team at Heartland Park Topeka, the Monster Energy Attack Kawasaki team will have all their riders back in the paddock at VIR with the return of Jamie Hacking and Leandro Mercado. Hacking sat out of Round 9, while Mercado has nearly finished his visa issues in his home country of Argentina. “It will be nice to have a full house again,” said Team Owner Richard Stanboli. “Leandro should have everything in place to return and Hacking usually runs well at VIR.” Kansas Was Welcoming With the return to Heartland Park Topeka finished, the fans are hoping the series returns to Kansas. The fans were some of the nicest that the series had encountered. “The people here were great,” said Hayden. “They were enthusiastic about our racing and I really appreciate everyone who made it out.” Training for Hot Weather With the hot month of summer officially here, the boys must make sure their training programs are in check for the last two races. Virginia International Raceway generally brings heat and humidity and the northeast race at New Jersey Motorsports Park is likely to do the same. Next Race The series will hit its penultimate round in two weeks with its trip to Virginia International Raceway. The riders will have a change of pace from the flat lands of Kansas to the slightly elevated track in Virginia. “I’m glad Virginia isn’t too far away,” said Hayden. “After a solid weekend, we have something to build on now. Virginia should be fun. The track has a little bit of elevation, which is quite different from this track.” Results AMA Pro Road Racing Series Heartland Park Topeka Topeka, Kansas August 2, 2009 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Results 1. Martin Cardenas, Miami, Fla., Suzuki 2. Josh Herrin, Clovis, Calif., Yamaha 3. Daniel Eslick, Broken Arrow, Okla., Buell 4. Jason DiSalvo, Las Vegas, Nev., Suzuki 5. Tommy Aquino, Saugus, Calif., Yamaha 6. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda 7. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI 8. Taylor Knapp, Buell 9. Bobby Fong, Stockton, Calif., Yamaha 10. Chris Peris, Calgary, Canada, Honda AMA Pro Daytona SportBike Point Standings 1. Daniel Eslick, Broken Arrow, Okla., Buell, 318 2. Martin Cardenas, Miami, Fla., Suzuki, 318 3. Josh Herrin, Clovis Calif., Yamaha, 261 4. JAMIE HACKING, DENVER, N.C., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI, 241 5. Jason DiSalvo, Las Vegas, Nev., Suzuki, 235 6. Chris Peris, Calgary, Canada, Honda, 199 7. Chaz Davies, Carlsbad, Calif., Aprilla, 194 8. Tommy Aquino, Saugus, Calif., Yamaha, 192 9. Jake Zemke, Paso Robles, Calif., Honda, 186 10. Steve Rapp, Hawthorne, Calif., Yamaha, 163 12. ROGER HAYDEN, OWENSBORO, KY., MONSTER ENERGY ATTACK KAWASAKI, 121 More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports: MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS COMES AWAY FROM HEARTLAND PARK WITH A PAIR OF TOP 10 FINISHES TOPEKA, KS The Michael Jordan Motorsports (MJM) teams of #23 Jordan Suzuki and #54 National Guard Jordan Suzuki took to the track this weekend for Round 9 of the National Guard American Superbike Championship at Heartland Park. The Topeka, Kansas racetrack hosted the Tornado Nationals over the July 31 – August 2 weekend, marking AMA Pro Racing’s return to this Midwestern track for the first time in almost 20 years. Having never raced at Heartland Park prior to this event, the MJM teams knew they had their work cut out for them as riders Aaron Yates and Geoff May prepared. Aaron Yates, Jordan Suzuki No. 23 Aaron Yates podiumed in Rounds 6, 7 and 8 of the Championship and looked poised to continue that trend here at Round 9, with the #23 Jordan Suzuki having qualified for the second spot during Friday’s Superpole. 5th PLACE, SATURDAY RACE 1 With four brands of motorcycles sharing the front row, the field roared into the Kansas horizon at the drop of the green flag. Eventual race winner Larry Pegram pulled slightly away from the lead group early on, but the riders in positions two through five, including MJM’s Aaron Yates, kept the pressure on throughout the 20 lap contest. When the checkered flag finally flew, Yates found himself rounding out the top five, with a scant 3.1 seconds covering first through fifth places at the line. “We had a good bike today and that was a good race,” said Yates. “The Jordan Suzuki allowed me to run a good pace today, but I had a bit of trouble getting by the guys in front of me. I’d be faster in some sections and they’d have it covered in others. We were right there at the line, though, and will make some changes with the crew tonight and come back at them tomorrow.” DNF, SUNDAY RACE 2 Race 2 was a short and bittersweet affair for the Jordan Suzuki team, with Yates falling out of the race on lap two of 20 while making a bid for P2 in Heartland Park’s Turn 8. Yates suffered a harmless lowside, immediately hopped up and attempted to rejoin the field, but found his GSX-R 1000 too damaged to continue. It was a tough day for the team but Yates once again demonstrated his Jordan Suzuki’s race-winning ability and the team is already hard at work preparing for the final two rounds of the 2009 season. “Today was a quick one so there’s not much to say really,” said Yates. “We were on lap two and I made a move up the inside of Blake (Young) going into T8 and just lost the front throwing it in there. In Race 1, I kind of sat behind those guys for most of the race and today I tried to get out front early and see if we could break away a bit. It didn’t quite go to plan, however, and now we’re getting the Jordan Suzuki ready for VIR, where we’ll give it another go.” Yates moves up one position in the Championship to seventh place, with 214 points. Geoff May, National Guard Jordan Suzuki No. 54 Geoff May and the National Guard Jordan Suzuki team come away from Round 9 with another top 10 (P8) performance under their belts and now ready themselves for Round 10 at Virginia International Raceway, a favorite of May’s, in two weeks. 8th PLACE, SATURDAY RACE 1 Race 1 at Heartland Park had the National Guard-sponsored rider May starting from 10th position on the grid after a uncharacteristic fall during Friday’s Superpole. From that tough starting spot, the gritty Georgia rider made up two places during Saturday’s 20 lap race to bring his GSX-R 1000 home in eighth place. “We tried going back to an older set-up today, our Road America settings,” said May. “However, it just didn’t work out here at this new Heartland Park track. The front end was just bit too high and I had trouble getting it turned. We’ll take what we’ve learned here in Race 1 and get ready for Race 2.” DNF PLACE, SUNDAY RACE 2 Sunday’s Race 2 at the new Topeka track proved to be a challenging one for the National Guard Jordan Suzuki team. After running strong inside the top right for the entire race, May went down a few laps short of the finish in the same turn, T8, as his MJM-counterpart Aaron Yates. May was unhurt in the fall but was unable to rejoin the field. “It was a tough race for us today losing it that close to the finish” said May. “I just came out of Turn 8 and caught one of the seams with the front and away she went. We’re off to one of my favorite tracks next week and I want to thank all the fans and National Guardsmen and women that made it out to Heartland Park this weekend.” Geoff May now sits eighth in the Championship with 212 points, just behind MJM-teammate Aaron Yates (214). ABOUT MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS: Legendary NBA star Michael Jordan formed Michael Jordan Motorsports in 2004 as a result of his passion for motorcycle racing. His mission is to bring a new level of excellence and style to the motorcycle racing industry. For more information on MJM, please visit www.23race.com, www.twitter.com/23race and http://www.facebook.com/23race. ABOUT THE NATIONAL GUARD: The National Guard is the oldest component of the Armed Forces of the United States and one of the nation’s longest enduring institutions. The National Guard operates in all 50 states, four territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, Samoa and the Virgin Islands) and the District of Columbia. For more information, visit the National Guard’s Web site at www.NationalGuard.com Michael Jordan Motorsports is proud to partner with: Jordan Brand (a division of Nike), American Suzuki, Upper Deck, Hanes, Gatorade, National Guard, Bazzaz Performance, LeoVince Exhaust, ELF Moto Lubricants, MMI – Motorcycle Mechanics Institute, Vortex Racing Components, Dainese Leathers, AGV Helmets, Oakley, Gemini Technology Systems, Ancra Tiedowns, Attack Race Bodies, Attack Performance, Chicken Hawk Racing Tire Warmers, DID Chains, Factory Pro Dyno, NGK Spark Plugs, Performance Friction Brake Pads, Roclun International, STAR Motorcycle School, Zero Gravity Windscreens, Sunoco Race Fuels, Vicci Apparel, with transportation provided by Eastside Trucking. More, from a press release issued by James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing: JAMES GANG/HOBAN BROTHERS 6th at HPT in MOTO-GT Waukesha, Wisc. – James Gang/Hoban Brothers Racing finished sixth in class in the AMA Pro Racing SunTrust Moto-GT 2-hour endurance race at Heartland Park Topeka. “We had a good run and moved up in the championship order,” said co-rider and team co-owner Paul James. “But we need to get back on the box in order to have a real shot at this championship going into the 8 Hours of Daytona.” James Gang/Hoban Brothers moved up to fifth place in SunTrust Moto-GT1 points, but lost a bit of ground to new points leader Crozier Motorsports. With three rounds remaining, James Gang/Hoban Brothers sits 27 points out of first place. “We’re looking forward to going back to VIR,” said teammate Jeff Johnson. “We’ve podiumed on the Full Course in Moto-ST, and we won the ASRA Team Challenge GT Lights race on the North course last year.” The AMA Pro SunTrust Moto-GT series continues at Virginia International Raceway on August 15. For more information, go to: www.jghbracing.com or follow team updates at: www.twitter.com/jamesgangracing Team sponsors include: H-D/Buell of Appleton, Darkhorse Crankworks, Buell Motorcycle Co., Kymco USA, SHIFT Racing, Spectro Oils, Arai, Regina USA, Vortex and Spyder Leatherworks. More, from a press release issued by Chris Fillmore Racing: Fillmore Continues to Impress at Heartland Park As the season continues for Chris Fillmore, the move to road racing continues to be a positive decision. While the track in Kansas received criticism from some of Fillmore’s fellow competitors, Chris chose to focus on minimizing his risk in certain parts of the track. This allowed Fillmore to continue to progress in his growth as a road racer after missing the Mid-Ohio round due to an injury at the Laguna Seca event. Fillmore found the track to be a tight, challenging circuit when he first entered practice on Friday morning. The early practice pace for Fillmore in the top ten was a good indication of the type of pace Fillmore would enjoy all weekend. The pace in practice translated to a 10th in basic qualifying for Fillmore on Friday afternoon. This 10th position qualified Chris for Superpole, a session that would occur only for the top ten Daytona Sportbike competitors. In Superpole Fillmore worked with crew chief Geoff Cesmat and improved to seventh quick for both Saturday and Sunday race events. Saturday’s race one was a challenging affair for all of the competitors as the top ten in the event remained close throughout the beginning of the race. For Fillmore, his race pace mirrored the pace he demonstrated on Friday. He found himself battling factory racers Jake Zemke and Roger Lee Hayden throughout the event. In the end, Fillmore and Zemke pulled away from Hayden and Fillmore was credited with eighth. Sunday found Fillmore once again starting from seventh position. His start on Sunday was better than that on Saturday. The result was that Fillmore was now running in fifth position early in the event and looked like he might have the pace to challenge for an even better final position. As the early laps clicked away, Fillmore was battling again with Zemke and also with Tommy Aquino among others in the top eight. However, 14 laps into the 20 lap event, Fillmore tucked the front end of the bike. The bike was not able to continue and a possible top five result was not to be. For Fillmore, however, the weekend was once again one that proved reason to feel encouraged as the series moves to Virginia International Raceway. Fillmore said post race, “We are overall happy with the weekend even though Sunday’s race was disappointing. I was riding at a comfortable pace when the front of the bike tucked and I just couldn’t save it. The fact I was able to practice, qualify, and race in the top ten all weekend was cool. It was especially cool after being forced to miss Mid Ohio due to a leg injury from Laguna Seca. I definitely worked hard this weekend on riding smart and fast. The accident came at a place that I didn’t see as super technical, but we will work to get the bike back in shape for VIR. Thanks to Geoff, my dad, and all of my sponsors for their support. We are getting faster and more consistent every race!” Look for AMA Daytona Sportbike round ten in Alton, VA on August 14 -16 at Virginia International Raceway. Chris Fillmore Racing will take part with the no. 55 Yamaha R6. More, from a press release issued by Syndicate Motorsport Management: HOLDEN BATTLES TO TOP FIVE FINISH WITH PRIVATEER LEVEL EQUIPMENT IN AMERICAN SUPERBIKE (Reno, NV)”” Jake Holden continued to impress with his privateer level equipment against the much costlier machines on the American Superbike grid. The Washington native continued his David versus Goliath assault on the American Superbike field. Although the Corona Honda team has been instrumental in getting Jake’s motorcycle from race to race, the motorcycle was purchased by Jake in a Honda dealership, and all costs involved in running the bike– including tires and fuel are paid for by Jake. Jake’s CBR1000RR has the majority of the stock parts still fitted””due to budget constraints””including the wheels, brakes, calipers, forks, etc. The Topeka round saw Jake enjoy the horsepower of the American Honda built motor, and the extra cooling capacity of the oversize radiator on loan from the Corona Racing team. Jake set out to make good use of the new found horsepower during the first sessions, including setting a new lap record of 1:36.005 during basic qualifying. During Superpole, no one was able to match Holden’s basic qualifying time as the track conditions had changed. Jake slipped back to third on the grid but was happy with his first front row start of the year. On Saturday morning the competitors were greeted with a wet racetrack, not the best circumstances to try a new race setup. Jake gambled on the suspension setup for the race and struggled with a lack of side grip during the race. Holden soldiered on and was able to finish well inside the top ten in seventh place. Sunday morning started out with sunshine and a clear track. Holden tried a new setting which saw him drop into a comfortable pace for morning warm up. With a front row start, Holden was able to latch onto the lead pack and was comfortably in fifth position until a late race retirement by Bostrom saw Holden elevated to fourth place at the line. Jake’s fourth place finish is all the more impressive when you compare the dollar investment in his machine versus those of his competitors, especially when his crew chief Walker is doing double duty as the Corona Extra Honda truck driver! Jake Holden: “How good is the Honda CBR1000RR? Mine is pretty close to stock and we just beat a lot of high dollar machines, with huge crews and big budgets. Without the help of Tim Saunders and the Corona Extra Honda Team transporting my bike from race to race, I don’t know if we could have afforded the entire season. I sure hope all this effort and financial struggle is making an impression with some of the teams or people who want to get involved next year because my savings are near zero.” More, from a press release issued by Corona Extra Honda Racing: HOLDEN TAKES SEASON BEST FOUTH, SETS LAP RECORD, HODGSON SIXTH AT HEARTLAND PARK TORNADO NATIONALS SUPERBIKE Corona Extra Honda riders Jake Holden and Neil Hodgson put in very strong performances at the first ever AMA Superbike event at Heartland Park Raceway, Topeka. Holden placed fourth in race two with Neil just behind in sixth. The first race saw Jake finish seventh and Neil tenth. Jake also set the fastest lap of the weekend and now holds the fastest lap for the track in AMA competition! Holden immediately got the weekend off to a flying start with very fast times in practice that culminated in best overall qualifying time, a new AMA track record of 1:36.005. In Superpole, Jake was not able to match his speed but still finished on the front row in third, with a 1:36.540, his best start of the season. Neil was struggling with his shoulder injury during practice but still put the #100 CBR1000 into Superpole and a ninth position on the grid. Race one saw Jake make a poor start and into fifth at lap one. A set-up change to the rear shock prior to the race did not work out as planned and Holden was not able to maintain his earlier pace. Through the race he lost two positions and had to settle for seventh at the flag. Neil rode a somewhat lonely race and ended in tenth at the checkers. Both riders were disappointed with the race but vowed to do better on Sunday! Sunday dawned with almost perfect weather and high hopes by the Corona Honda Team for good finishes with fast morning warm-up times from both riders. At the drop of the green flag Holden had another poor start and crossed the stripe in 7th place after the first lap. He improved to 5th place after second lap mistakes by Young and Yates. On lap 18 fourth place Bostrom crashed out moving Holden up into the position for his best finish of the season. Hodgson had a good start, holding 10th place after the first lap. During the second lap he also moved up two spots thanks to Young and Yates. He gave up a position to Knapp on lap 8 but got that position back on lap 12. On lap 18 Hodgson passed Michael Laverty for 7th and moved up to his final position of 6th after Bostrom’s crash. Both riders were pleased with their finishes but felt they could do better. Certainly Jake’s times were fast enough run at the front and on the box! Roll on VIR! In its “Race to the Lime” Corona Extra Honda Racing is proud to be partnering with; Parts Unlimited, Cycle Gear, Pro Honda Oils, AGV, FMF, Autolite, Hotbodies Racing, K&N, Motion Pro, Vortex, Dainese, GPR, Ogio, CR&A, RK, Dunlop, JE Pistons, Powerstands, Bellco, Adran, K&L, HRC, Acme Garage, Vicci, Fluid Designs, Shock Doctor, EBSCO Media, MTS. For more information please visit Corona Extra Honda Racing online at www.corona-racing.com, email [email protected] or call 310 521 9802. Corona Extra Honda Next Race: Virginia International Raceway, Alton, VA, August 14-16, 2009 More, from a press release issued by KWS Motorsports: The Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team Scores Sixth Top Five Finish of the Year. Topeka, KS August, 2009 The Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team scored its sixth top five result of the year when rider Chaz Davies finished fourth in Saturdays Daytona SportBike Race One. Aaron Gobert continued to learn the Aprilia RSV1000R with solid top fifteen finishes in both races. In Basic Qualifying Chaz Davies put his Aprilia in Superpole with the second fastest time of the session, only a few hundredths of a second from provisional pole. Gobert struggled in the beginning of the session, but put in a great lap at the end and only missed putting the 97 Aprilia RSV in Superpole for the first time this year by a fraction of the a second. In the Superpole competition, Davies turned a lap of 1:39.702 for sixth place on the outside of the third row. Gobert qualified Eleventh. Daytona SportBike Race One was going very well when Davies slotted into the second position on lap two. Unfortunately the race was stopped for a crash and the race was completely restarted. The second restart didn’t go as well for the Millennium Technologies sponsored team when Davies was pushed wide and fell back to seventh. Davies put his head down and fought his way back to fourth place. This was Chaz’s sixth top five finish of the year. Gobert struggled with a difficult set up but ran consistent laps for the entire race and finished in the fourteenth position. Although the team was happy with a top five result, the KWS Motorsports crew worked late into the night in an effort to squeeze the last ounce of performance from the big Aprilia. The result was two bikes that both riders felt were substantially better than the day before. Daytona SportBike Race Two started very similarly to Race One, in that both Aprilia riders got great starts with Chaz moving up to fourth place only to have the race stopped due to a crash by another rider. After the re-start Davies once again went to the front only to retire a few laps later with an electrical problem. Gobert continued to come to terms with his new ride, dropping nearly a second off his average lap time from the day before to finish eleventh. Chaz Davies “It was nice to get another top five result, but I am very disappointed with the result from Sunday’s race. The bike was so much better than the bike we rode on Saturday and I feel that we had a bike to win, but it didn’t work out. We took a gamble with some untested electronic parts and we lost. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We will get it figured out for VIR. Thanks to Rocky Stargel and Jimmy Le for all their hard work.” Aaron Gobert “The Aprilia RSV1000R is such a good bike, we just need to get it a little more comfortable for me and we will be right there. We make progress with it every time we get on track and I know we will get it right before the end of the season. I can’t wait for VIR. It is one of my favorite tracks and I won my first AMA race there. Thanks to Michael Godin and Marty Ashmore for all their hard work this weekend. I also want to give my condolences to Brian Nallin and the whole Nallin family for their loss this week. “ Chip Spalding (Team Manager) “We are pushing as hard as possible to put Chaz and Aaron into a position to win races for Aprilia and Millennium Technologies. Pushing hard means taking chances. We will learn from this and be ready for Virginia. On a sad note, Brian Nallin has been an integral part of this team for a long time and we would like to give our condolences to him and his family for the loss of his brother Richard Nallin. Godspeed Richard.” The Factory Aprilia Millennium Technologies Team is proudly sponsored by: Aprilia USA, Millennium Technologies, Pit Bull, LeoVince Exhaust, K&N Filters, Bazzaz Performance, Sebimoto, Yoyodyne, EK Chains, Motul Oils, Performance Friction Brakes, Worldwide Bearing, Zero Gravity, Chicken Hawk Racing, Hel Brake Lines, ETI- Fuel Cel and ASV Inventions. For Information: http://www.kwsmotorsports.com More, from a press release issued by ESP/Venemotos Yamaha: GREAT DAY FOR ESP/ VENEMOTOS YAMAHA AT TORNADO NATIONALS (Reno, NV)”” Josh Day scored ESP/Venemotos Yamaha’s second AMA Pro Racing victory at the Tornado Nationals in Topeka, Kansas. The ESP/Venemotos Yamaha team arrived in Topeka riding a wave of momentum from their first victory at the previous AMA round in Mid-Ohio. The new front end setting that the ESP crew found at Mid-Ohio continued to work for Day in Kansas. The feeling from the front end allowed Josh to quickly lower his lap times while running a comfortable pace. The ESP/Venemotos crew continued to fine tune the setup of the R6 based on Josh’s Daytona Sportbike race on Saturday for the Four Feathers squad. The Orlando native was the class of the field, leading every session leading up to the race, including setting a new Supersport lap record with a time of 1:40.5 during Sunday morning warm-up. Starting from pole, Josh rocketed away at the start with Dustin Dominguez in tow. The two man breakaway left the remainder of the Supersport field in their wake, until Josh was able to ease away from Dominguez at a rate of over a second per lap. Josh Day eventually crossed the finish line 18 seconds clear of his nearest competitor in the 16 lap race. Josh now has a 45 point lead in the Supersport East Championship with two rounds remaining. Josh Day: “My ESP/Venemotos Yamaha R6 was awesome! The racetrack seemed to lose grip when the temperatures came up in the afternoon, but my bike still worked really well and allowed me to run a good pace without feeling like I was really pushing it. I can’t thank Willie and the rest of the ESP crew enough and I can’t wait for Virginia.” Evan Steel: “I could get used to this. There’s a belief in racing that once you get your first victory, the rest come easy. I don’t think it will ever be easy, but Josh sure made it look easy today. We’re heading back to the shop to continue working on the bike because we know how deep the Supersport field is and we know they will be gunning for us at Virginia.” Team ESP/Venemotos Yamaha: Evan Steel Performance is a small, personal, specialized shop located in Tucson, Arizona that deals with all aspects of motorcycle road racing. ESP bikes have had some of the highest trap speeds in their classes at AMA Nationals, as well as the highest top speed at start/finish at the 50th annual Macau Grand Prix. In 2008, ESP scored a very rare privateer podium at the VIR AMA National in the Superstock class with Chris Peris. ESP is open to any level of racing, from basic race prep to planning a season at the Nationals. More, from a press release issued by Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki: TOP TEN FOR ULRICH AND TEAM ROADRACINGWORLD.COM SUZUKI Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki came away from the AMA Pro Road Racing series’ return to Heartland Park Topeka in Topeka, KS in a positive mood, as Chris Ulrich broke back into the American Superbike top ten and Russell Wikle continued to run up front in the AMA SuperSport class. Ulrich qualified on the outside of the third row aboard his developing GSX-R1000 K9, posting the twelfth best lap time during Basic Qualifying at 1:38.835. He picked up a position in Saturday’s 50-lap final by finishing eleventh. The Californian continued his improvement over night, scoring a ninth-place ride on Sunday, his second best result of the 2009 season. Ulrich is currently eleventh in the AMA American Superbike championship race with 122 points. “It’s good to get back in the top ten,” Chris declared. “It’s a decent finish. We need to work on the gap a little bit and close down the distance to the top guys, but we moved forward and the bike was continuing to feel more comfortable for me this weekend. We got some new parts and we’re pretty happy with that. “It’s encouraging that we’re moving farther forward but there are some guys we know we should be racing with that we’ve still got to track down. We’ve got to work on that for VIR. We’ve got the chassis to where we’re pretty happy with it, so now we’ve got to start dicing with those guys. I got away with them but they were just about to pull a tenth here and a tenth there and the next thing you know, they’ve got a few seconds on me. “Our goal for the rest of the year is to stay in the top ten and close the gap. It’s going to be difficult but I think it’s doable.” Russ qualified sixth fastest for the SuperSport contest despite some tricky wet-dry conditions. Facing a deep field comprised of the top riders from both the East and West divisions, Wikle fought an entertaining battle with newly crowned West champ Ricky Parker and just missed out on fourth place by 0.239 seconds. His fifth-place result has him ranked third in the AMA Pro SuperSport East standings with 79 points. “Russell did a great job again,” Ulrich said. “They changed his bike a lot before that race and he did a good job to ride that bike well. He got himself into a really good battle with Ricky Parker. He’s fighting and he’s pretty gritty. We’re really pleased with his performance once again.” Santiago Villa was an innocent victim of another rider’s mistake on Saturday, being collected in a crash in the AMA Pro Daytona SportBike race through no fault of his own. The gritty Colombian came back to finish 20th aboard his GSX-R600 on Sunday, however, his eighth top 20 of the 2009. Villa also earned the podium in a Moto-GT ride with another team this weekend. Team Roadracingworld.com Suzuki will head to Virginia International Raceway for the penultimate round of the 2009 AMA Pro Road Racing season on August 14-16.